


Dear Lila

by AntagonizedPenguin



Category: Original Work
Genre: Children, Epistolary, Gen, Horror, Paranoia, Possession
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-07-24 11:56:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 5,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16174589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AntagonizedPenguin/pseuds/AntagonizedPenguin
Summary: Dear Lila,Something is wrong with my brother.





	1. October 2nd

October 2nd

Dear Lila,

Callum makes me so mad. Today he took the last muffin at breakfast even though I said I wanted it yesterday, and pretended he didn’t know I wanted it. He knew I wanted it! I told him! And mom and dad were on his side like always and said it was an accident and I should stop being so silly because there would be more muffins. But that’s not the point. The point is that he always takes stuff I want because he’s bigger and he can do what he wants. He’s not even that much bigger. If I was bigger than Callum I wouldn’t take his stuff. I’d be nice to him. Ugh. I hate him.

I mean, I don’t really hate him I guess. He just makes me so mad all the time. Why can’t he leave me alone? He has lots of friends he can bug who aren’t me. I can hear him talking to one of them in his room right now on the phone. He’s not supposed to be on his phone at night but if I tell mom and dad they’ll just tell me to stop trying to get Callum in trouble again. 

Ugh. Anyway. School was good today except I dropped my pencil case and had to pick everything up off the floor while everyone watched. It was so embarrassing! They already started putting up Halloween decorations cause it’s October now. It was cold and I had to wear a jacket. I found a quarter in the pocket that I must have left there in the spring. Christie told me that I looked like last year’s fashion, so I put rocks in her backpack to make it heavier when she wasn’t looking. Don’t tell anyone! I had to spend a long time doing times tables again after supper but at least Callum was doing long division and he needed way more help than I did. 

But most importantly is that it’s three weeks until my birthday! Mom and dad told me I have to start thinking about who I’m going to invite over for my party, because only four people can sleep over, which isn’t fair cause I want five people to come and I don’t want to leave someone out. I guess I’ll have to think about it. There’s still time to make them change their minds. I also have to start making a list of what I want! I can’t wait!

I have to go to sleep now. Callum is still talking to his friend. Hopefully mom and dad will hear him and make him stop. Goodnight!


	2. October 8th

October 8th

Dear Lila,

There was frost this morning. It’s getting cold really fast! I guess I’m going to be trick-or-treating in my snowsuit again. I wish we lived somewhere warmer. I got a new pair of gloves today! They’re just boring regular gloves, but they’re purple and I like them. Callum got a new pair too but they’re just black like the ones he had last year so it’s not even interesting. 

He broke my favourite glass today, the pretty one with the pink sparkles in it that we bought last year because mom and dad were having a Christmas party. He did it on purpose, too! He threw it at the wall and smashed it cause he knew I liked it. It was because I called him stupid for forgetting that today was Thanksgiving when he said he was going to talk to his friend Lucien about something at school. But there was no school! All I did was call him stupid and he got mad and broke my favourite glass! But at least he got in trouble. Mom told me I shouldn’t call people names, but he got sent to his room and wasn’t allowed to play the Playstation tonight because he’s supposed to be the responsible older brother and not throw temper tantrums like that, and cause glass is dangerous and he could have hurt someone. He’s such a jerk. But at least he didn’t come out of his room all day until supper so I didn’t have to see him. I’m definitely wasn’t thankful for having a brother at supper, even though I had to pretend I was or else mom and dad would call me selfish. 

Maybe he can stay here if we move somewhere warmer since he loves his friends so much. I can hear him talking in his room again cause mom didn’t take his phone away. Ugh. I can’t wait till I can have a phone and talk to my friends all the time. But I like talking to you, Lila, even if my hand starts to hurt a lot after I’ve been writing. Especially today cause Sunny scratched me when I tried to put a bow on her so it already hurts a little. It’s nice to have someone who doesn’t tell me I’m wrong or stupid or immature all the time. I know you’re just a book under my pillow but I sometimes think that you’re my best friend.

It’s so cold in here. I hope I can sleep okay because I’m super tired . Goodnight!


	3. October 9th

October 9th

Dear Lila,

I wish it wasn’t so cold all of the sudden. My hands are numb holding the pencil! Mom and dad won’t turn on the heat because they want to save money on electricity, but I’m freezing. Ugh. They’d probably turn the heat up if Callum asked them to. They give him everything he wants. 

He’s in his room talking to someone again. He’s always talking to someone. It sounds like he’s arguing with someone. Maybe they’ll get into a fight and they won’t talk anymore. Who’s he even talking to anyway? He sees his stupid friends all day.

Today sucked. I got into a fight with Harriet and she told me she hated me. I hate her too now. She’s so mean, I don’t know why I was ever friends with her. She’s definitely uninvited from my birthday. So I guess it’s okay that I’m only allowed to have four people over now. Ugh. You don’t think my hair looks like a duck, do you, Lila?

Lila I just went to the bathroom and came back and I went by Callum’s room and he’s not talking on his phone. It’s not in his hand and he’s just still talking to someone. I didn’t hear another voice. That’s really weird. I can still hear him talking.

I’m going to go to bed. Hopefully he’ll stop soon.


	4. October 12th

October 12th 

Dear Lila,

I’m scared. I woke up and went to the bathroom and I could hear someone moving around downstairs. Someone was in the house, I’m sure. And I thought it must be mom or dad but they were in their room, I checked. Then I heard it coming up the stairs and it was just Callum, he came and went in his room and that was okay. 

What was he doing downstairs? It’s super late, and all I could hear was him bumping around. ~~Maybe he was getting something to eat or~~

There’s still somebody down there. I can hear somebody moving around. A door opened, the door to the basement. I thought it was Sunny but Sunny can’t open doors. I know Callum is in his room, I heard the door shut. I know he’s there. Lila, who’s in the house?

Should I call the police? Should I wake up mom and dad? I’m too afraid to get out of bed, Lila.

It’s coming upstairs I can hear footsteps I

Lila it went in Callum’s room. His door opened again, and it closed. And now

And now I can hear Callum talking to someone. And someone’s talking back.


	5. October 13th

October 13th

Dear Lila,

~~I hate Callum so much it’s all his fault I’m going to kill him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him~~

Callum killed Sunny. Sunny’s dead. I’m so upset I haven’t been able to stop crying all day. 

He said it was an accident and mom and dad believe him but I don’t. He left the door open on purpose cause he knew she would run outside. He was probably watching and waiting for a car to come by the house. He did it on purpose cause I asked him who was in his room last night, I know he did. He got really mad when I asked him that and said there was nobody there. 

I know there was someone there, I heard it and I know he killed Sunny on purpose. Callum is horrible. I hate him. I hope he gets hit by a car too! He’s evil.

But of course mom and dad are on his side, and keep telling me it was just an accident and I can’t blame him and he’s upset too and it’s not nice to call him names but he deserves it Lila, he deserves it. He killed Sunny and he doesn’t even feel bad. Mom and dad don’t even care. They probably didn’t even want Sunny here anymore. 

Callum has always been the only one they like. I’m always in their way and always less important and always just annoying. This just proves it. He killed Sunny and they’re still on his side.

I hate them. I hate both of them. But I still hate Callum the most. 

At least he’s not in his room talking for once.


	6. October 14th

October 14th

Dear Lila,

I figured it out! I know what’s wrong. 

Callum is possessed by a demon. 

I learned all about it in church today because Pastor Bailey was talking about why we shouldn’t have Halloween because dressing up like demons is inviting real demons to come visit us, and then they might try to take us over and make us do evil stuff. Then he told us about lots of times in the bible when Jesus made demons stop possessing people and made them stop being evil, and about how praying can scare demons away.

I prayed quietly in the car the whole way home and Callum didn’t get any different, but I’m going to keep trying, and I’ll keep watching him to make sure it’s working. Just in case, when I’m allowed to go on the computer tomorrow I’m going to look up how to make demons go away. I think you have to give them exercise or something. 

If Callum really is possessed by a demon, that means that he didn’t kill Sunny. It was the demon. That’s who he’s been talking to, too! It’s probably making him do all kinds of stuff. It makes me feel bad for him, even though I’m still mad about Sunny. Maybe he’ll go back to normal after I get rid of the demon. 

I hope he does. I just keep feeling like something’s wrong and I didn’t know what it was until today. But now I know what it is so I can fix it. 

I’m going to sleep, I stayed up late praying and I have to go to school tomorrow. Goodnight!


	7. October 17th

October 17th

Dear Lila, 

I think Callum knows I’m watching him. 

I’ve been keeping an eye on him since Sunday to see if I can catch him acting weird. I never see him doing anything funny, but I think it’s because the demon knows it has to be careful when there are people around. I still hear him talking to nobody when he’s alone. The only weird thing is that he’s still wearing t-shirts and even shorts sometimes even though it’s freezing. Mom and dad keep having to tell him to dress warmly, but he says he’s not cold. The demon must be making him warm all the time because hell is so hot. 

Don’t tell anyone I said hell, Lila. I know it’s a bad word but I’m only writing it for a good reason!

Anyway I think Callum knows I’m watching him. He made sure to sit far away from me tonight when we were watching TV, and I noticed that he kept looking over at me. I had the bible in my lap and I was pretending to read it on the commercials and Callum looked kinda worried. That must be the demon, a normal person isn’t afraid of the bible! I kept the bible in my room for tonight just in case he decides to do something crazy. 

I looked on the internet but I don’t actually know how to get the demon out. I’m going to have to tell mom and dad. They can make Callum go to a church and get ~~exercised~~ exorcised and then it’ll be okay. It will all be okay again. 

It’s going to be okay, right, Lila?


	8. October 19th

October 19th

Dear Lila,

Mom and dad don’t believe me. Of course they don’t believe me. They never believe anything I say. They’re always on Callum’s side. I tried to tell them about the demon this morning while Callum was in the shower, cause he always takes forever so I knew I’d have time before he came down. 

But they didn’t believe me! First they just laughed cause they thought I was making a Halloween joke or something. I told them Callum is possessed by a demon and they just laughed! Then when I told them I was serious and they stopped laughing, they got mad and told me I had to stop making up lies about people, and that they knew I was upset about Sunny but it wasn’t Callum’s fault and I had to stop being so mean to him. 

That’s not why I’m doing it, Lila! I’m sad about Sunny but I’m more worried about Callum! And about us! If someone doesn’t stop the demon it might try to hurt us like in the movies. And mom and dad just laughed and told me demons weren’t real! 

Maybe the demon already got to them. Maybe it’s not just controlling Callum. Maybe once it got him it took over mom and dad too. That would explain why they let him get away with everything and never think it’s weird. That would explain why they laughed at me. 

If it already got mom and dad, does that mean I’m next? I’m scared, Lila. I don’t want to get possessed. 

If they’re not going to help I’m going to have to try the exorcism myself. If it doesn’t work I’ll have to run away. I can’t stay in a house with monsters and just wait for them to kill me. But I have to try to get rid of them first. I have to try. 

I’m scared but I have to save my family, Lila. I have to.


	9. October 23rd

October 23rd

Dear Lila,

It didn’t work.

I tried. I tried the exorcism but it didn’t work. It was all because Kiera is stupid and got scared and ran away. Well I hope she’s scared when she hears that I’m dead, because the demon is probably going to kill me now.

It tried to already. It threw me off of Callum and hit my head on his dresser and I hurt so much I saw white and threw up. But I didn’t die. Yet.

I shouldn’t have tried to get those stupid girls to help. I thought since they were here for my birthday anyway it would be a good way to make sure I could do it—Callum is bigger than me, so I thought they cold hold him down while I did the hard part. I told them it was a spooky game for Halloween. I guess I shouldn’t have trusted them. I should have known they weren’t really my friends. 

Kiera is such a bitch and you can tell her I said that. You can tell everyone I said that. I hate her. I hope she dies. I hope they all die. Maybe once the demon kills me it’ll go kill them. I hope it does. I hope it takes them all right down to hell where they belong. 

All they had to do was hold his arms and legs, Lila! It wasn’t even that hard. I was doing the hard part. I was reading from the bible and sprinkling the holy water and trying to make the demon get out of Callum. We only had once chance, it was just because we got him by surprise when he was in his bed that we could hold him down. He’s never going to let us do that again. He’s never going to let me near him again. 

I did everything the way I was supposed to. It would have worked, Lila, it would have. But as soon as I held up the knife stupid Kiera freaked out like a baby and let go of Callum’s arm, and he hit me so hard I fell off the bed and hit my head. I don’t really remember what happened right after that. I tried to get up and finish the exorcism, but everyone was screaming and running and dad came and took the knife away. 

Everyone got sent home and now they’re not allowed to sleep over on the weekend. That’s fine. I don’t want them to anyway. I don’t want to see them at school tomorrow either. I don’t want to see any of them ever again. My so-called friends or Callum or my parents or any of them. I hope they all die. 

Mom and dad told me to go to bed and they’d talk to me tomorrow about what I’d done. I have a bandage on my head and two on my hands. At least the fact that I’m bleeding makes it easier to write to you.

If I don’t ever write again it’s probably because they killed me, Lila. I’m not going to go to sleep. I don’t think I can. My head hurts too much. 

Happy birthday to me I guess. 

I hate them all so much.


	10. October 24th

October 24th

Dear Lila,

This was the worst day of my life. Nobody would talk to me all day at school. One of my fake friends must have told them all what happened last night. It doesn’t matter, I hate them all anyway. I don’t want to talk to any of them either.

When I got home it was even worse. Mom and dad wanted to have a big talk with me about what I did wrong even though I didn’t do anything wrong, but of course they don’t believe me, because of course Callum convinced them that I’m the one who should get in trouble. They’re basically like his slaves, they just do everything he says. 

I thought for a few minutes that it would all be okay. Pastor Bailey came over after supper cause mom and dad called him and I thought that maybe he’d be able to help. I thought that maybe for once someone was taking me seriously. But of course not, because that’s not how the world works, Lila. Nobody ever takes me seriously. Why would anyone listen to me? I’m just a dumb girl, better to lock me in my room and hope I starve to death than actually listen to what I’m trying to say. I’m just trying to help them, Lila. They don’t understand. Why don’t they understand?

I tried to tell Pastor Bailey about the demon when he was here. But of course he didn’t care. It turned out mom and dad called him so he’d come over and tell me that Callum wasn’t possessed. And so I had to sit there and listen for a long time while he lied to me and told me that all the things that Callum has been doing aren’t really because he’s a demon, they’re just because he’s older than me and I’ll understand someday. Callum hid in his room the whole time, of course, so Pastor Bailey didn’t even see him cause Callum said he didn’t want to and mom and dad let him. Callum has been in his room since school ended. So have I, but that’s cause I’m not allowed out. 

He was talking to the demon again for a long time. I wonder what they talked about. Probably how they’re going to kill me. 

Maybe I’ll run away. But where would I go, Lila? I can’t stay with any of my fake friends. And it’s too cold to sleep outside. I’d freeze to death right away. I can barely stop shivering in the house and the heat’s even on. I think I’m trapped here, Lila. 

Callum went downstairs a while ago and didn’t come back up. I’m only allowed out of my room to go to the bathroom, so I did and I could sort of hear him talking to mom and dad about something. He’s probably telling them to get rid of me. Or maybe he’ll do it. Maybe he’ll get rid of me like he got rid of Sunny. 

I’m scared, Lila. I think I’m going to die. 

What should I do, Lila?


	11. October 28th

October 28th 

Dear Lila,

Today was the first day I was allowed out of my room for anything other than school. We went to church but I don’t remember what the sermon was about. I didn’t really listen because Pastor Bailey doesn’t know anything anyway, and you’re not supposed to listen to false preachers, it says so in the bible. 

I spent the whole time I was grounded pretty much reading the bible to see if it would say anything about how to get rid of Callum, but it didn’t. It’s just a bunch of stupid stories and a bunch of stupid rules, and none of them are helpful. What a waste of time.

Mom and dad had another big stupid talk with me and told me that if I apologized to Callum they’d let me be less grounded. Which means that they would let me come out of my room and go trick-or-treating on Halloween, but I’m still not allowed to have friends over or play on the computer for another week. 

I said yes because even though I know they’re just trying to get me to come out of my room so they can kill me, I don’t want to make them suspicious. I don’t know why Callum hasn’t killed me already. Maybe since Pastor Bailey came over it would look bad if I died right away. Even if Pastor Bailey didn’t listen to me, he might remember what I said if I turned up dead the next day. It’s the same reason that mom and dad won’t let me have friends over. So that nobody will notice when I die. 

So I pretend apologized to Callum and he pretended to say it was okay, but we both knew it wasn’t. He wouldn’t even look at me and now he’s in his room again and I’m in mine. On Tuesday we’re going to go get pumpkins and carve them and we’re all going to pretend that we’re a family again. 

Maybe they’ll kill me in the pumpkin patch. Or maybe they’ll carve me instead of the pumpkin and use my dead body as a Halloween decoration, and put my guts in a bowl and make a pie out of them. I don’t know what’s going to happen but I’m scared, Lila. I’m scared and I don’t know what to do. I know they’re going to kill me, I can see it in their eyes. In the way they look at me. They want me gone. They hate me. They’re scared of me. 

Why are they scared of me, Lila? I can’t do anything. 

Can I?


	12. October 30th

October 30th

Dear Lila,

It’s the morning. I have to leave for school in a minute, but I wanted to make sure I wrote something since I didn’t last night, just in case this is the last time I ever get to write to you, Lila. We’re going to the pumpkin patch after school today and I might not be coming home so I just wanted to make sure I wrote something today.

It’s lunchtime now. I ended up bringing you with me today just in case, Lila. I don’t normally because I’m worried someone will try to read what I wrote to you, but I was too scared to leave you at home. There’s pumpkin pie with lunch and I can’t eat it. It tastes like blood.

Mom and dad are late to come pick me up. They were supposed to be here when school ended but they’re not and now I’m sitting here by myself and it’s freezing, Lila. It’s so cold. Maybe this was their plan all along. Maybe they’re just going to leave me here to freeze to death outside the school while they

Callum is taking forever to come out of his school. He only ends an hour after me and we’re still sitting here and it’s almost 4:30. At least dad got me some hot chocolate. Why is he taking so long?

Well I didn’t die in the pumpkin patch. Callum was actually acting normal for once, he was smiling and trying to pick up heavy pumpkins and taking pictures with his phone of ones that he thought looked funny. Why is he so happy? 

We went to Kathy’s for supper. I got a hamburger and it was almost burnt it was so cooked. Everyone was acting so normal like nothing was wrong. It’s too dark in the car for me to write anymore. 

Mom is making me put you in my room so you don’t get dirty while we carve the pumpkins. I don’t really want to carve them. I’m too tired and even if they’re not going to kill me I just want to go to bed. Goodbye in case I don’t come back, Lila.

I’m still alive, Lila. The carving took a long time but I’m still alive. The whole time dad was holding the knife I was just watching him, waiting for him to use it on me. I kept waiting for Mom to shove my head in the bowl of pumpkin guts or for Callum to reach over and break my neck but none of them did. They just kept laughing and smiling and it was all fake, Lila, I could tell it was all fake, but I don’t know why. 

I think I figured it out, Lila. I think I know what’s going on. It’s tomorrow. They’re going to kill me tomorrow, on Halloween. That’s the night when you sacrifice people to demons. When I was going to bed mom told me that she and dad had a surprise for me tomorrow. That’s what it is. They’re going to kill me tomorrow. Maybe that’s how they’ll summon the demon here for real, like I read on the computer. 

I can’t let them, Lila. I can’t let them kill me. This isn’t my family, Lila. Something is wrong with them all. They’re all acting too normal and I know it’s not true. This isn’t my family. 

Callum hugged me goodnight before I came in here and told me he’d see me tomorrow. I could tell he was smiling, but not a nice smile. As soon as he was in his room I snuck downstairs and got the pumpkin carving knife and hid it under my pillow. 

I’m not going to let them get me too, Lila. The demons got my family, but I’m not going to let them get me too.


	13. October 31st

October 31st

Dear Lila,

It’s okay now, everything is okay. 

There are no more demons in the house, not anymore. I got rid of them all.

When I got home the one pretending to be dad was there and he told me that we just had to wait for mom and Callum and then I could have my surprise. I’m not stupid, Lila. I know what he meant. When the other demons got back they were going to kill me. So I went up to my room and got the knife from under my pillow. 

Did you know that a person’s belly is really soft, Lila? It’s not hard to stab someone there.

When the one pretending to be mom got home I just waited for her in the kitchen. She was calling for me but I wasn’t going to come to her. When she saw dad she screamed and knelt down beside him and she didn’t even know I was behind her. 

I know why the demons were scared of me now, Lila. Demons bleed a lot. 

I thought it would be scary but it wasn’t, Lila. Exorcising them was actually kind of fun. It made me all shaky and excited. 

When the real demon, the boss one, came home, he went up to his room like always and I just locked the door and followed him upstairs. He was the one I was the most worried about so I had to be careful. I waited until he came out of his room after forever and a half and I pushed him down the stairs when he went to go get his snack. 

I didn’t need any of those fake friends after all, Lila. I did the exorcism all by myself. I don’t know why I was ever scared of that demon. He cried, Lila. He cried and he screamed and he begged me not to, he was so afraid of me. I don’t know why I was scared of him. I understand now. All the weird stuff, avoiding me and glaring at me and hiding from me. He was afraid of me the whole time. He cried the whole time, Lila. The whole time until it was over. 

Everything is okay now. They’re all gone. I exorcised all of them. I’m so happy. I’m finally free, Lila. I finally don’t have to be afraid anymore. I can do what I want and nobody is going to hurt me. 

It’s dark outside. I think I’ll go trick-or-treating, Lila. I don’t have my costume, but I think the blood and the knife should scare people enough, right? 

I think they will. I’m going to go, Lila. Thank you for listening. And thank you for all your help. 

I’ll see you soon, Lila.


End file.
